There
is a really interesting premise in this film, albeit one which is reminiscent
of a recently successful horror film, while also blatantly ripping off a
classic. Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead uses the structure of the beloved
classic zombie movie, while also utilizing the insertion of helpless victims
into the roles of the movie characters. If only this premise weren’t so
unbelievably similar to Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods, it may have actually
been slightly effective. Unfortunately, with originality removed, all that is
left behind is bad acting and poor effects.

The
story begins with a party following a horror convention. A bunch of movie geeks
gather at a house, only to awaken the next day finding themselves dressed and
placed in seemingly random areas. Eventually they piece together the details
and realize that they are living out George A. Romero’s Night of the Living
Dead. Once they know this, you would think that they could predict what was
going to happen and stop it, but this is where the storyline finally deters
away from the previously established structure of a well-known horror classic.
Unfortunately, the film drags its feet so slowly through the first portion; it
almost just feels like a bad remake of the original.

Perhaps
I am being too unkind to this independent horror film, but there are just so
many of these to wade through that I tend to feel unimpressed by a majority of
them. Mimesis isn’t a good film, but by comparison it also isn’t one of the bad
ones either. It falls somewhere in the middle, in the easily forgettable zone.
The DVD includes an audio commentary by director/co-writer Douglas Schulze and
co-writer Joshua Wagner.

Science
fiction has crept into independent filmmaking in a big way these last few
years, from visions of the apocalypse to space discovery. By comparison, Robot
& Frank seems nearly grounded in reality, aside from the fact that a
co-star is a robot. It is a comedy which just happens to utilize some of the
benefits of science fiction, though no amount of special effects could detract
from Frank Langella’s performance. Fortunately, the director doesn’t even try,
knowing that the simplicity of the film is what makes it work. Not ever science
fiction film needs to have a special effects budget that is larger than the
cost of the cast.

Langella
stars as Frank, a retired cat burglar whose aging has begun to worry his
children (James Marsden and Liv Tyler). Their only solution is to buy their
father a robotic caretaker, to cook him healthy meals and clean the house. The
robot becomes something of a friend to Frank, as well as a useful tool when the
retired thief decides to get back into the game. Between Frank’s experience and
the robot’s mechanical abilities, they are able to pull off near impossible
thefts together.

The
main reason that Frank finds to come out of retirement is a friendly librarian
(Susan Sarandon), whose kindness gives Frank reason to find ways to repay her
the only way he knows how. Realizing that the robot has no moral programming
for theft, it makes him the perfect partner. The only danger is the recorded
programming which threatens to give away their crimes together, and erasing the
memory would mean erasing the friend he has adopted in the robot as well.

The
DVD includes a commentary track with screenwriter Christopher Ford and director
Jake Schreier, as well as a robot poster campaign feature.

The
last thing this world needed was another Dangerous Liaisons remake, regardless
of the fact that it was made in a different country. Now it has become just as
common for foreign countries to remake films as Hollywood is likely to remake films them. We
are all just borrowing from each other, and Dangerous Liaisons has been made in
several different countries, different time periods and in different languages.
The problem is, the story s the same no matter how you tell it, and this latest
version has absolutely nothing new to contribute besides some glossy new
photography.

Set
in 1930s Shanghai, known by some as the “Paris of the East,” there
are comparable replacements in the storyline from the original French text.
There have also been some alterations to the relationships between characters,
even further castration of any risqué material. Aging socialite Mo Jieyu
bitterly plays with the lives and emotions of others around her, including her
ex-boyfriend Xie Yifan (Jang Dong-kun), who often joins her in destructive
manipulations.

Xie
still pines after Mo, so they make a wager that will allow Xie to fulfill his
carnal indulgences with his past lover. All Xie has to do is seduce a virgin
socialite, though along the way he discovers a true romantic interest in
humanitarian Du Fenyu (Ziyi Zhang). This ill-fated romance between a womanizer
and a humanitarian is difficult to believe in the rushed 111 minute running
time. Though I am grateful that the story I was already familiar with was not
dragged out any longer than it was, something was missing to make me believe in
the romance at the center of film’s plot.

The
Blu-ray includes a making-of featurette and a behind-the-scenes featurette, as
well as a trailer gallery.

As
I watched Bully, I found myself wishing I could reach through the screen and
hug some of these children. There is only so much that can be done about
bullying, especially when it is not a physical threat but mere teasing instead,
and the kids that are different are always going to be the likely targets. Some
of the bullies angered me, but more often I simply felt empathy for the kids
who don’t fit in. They are different, and even when they aren’t being picked
on, you can see the sadness some of them would still carry simply from the
loneliness of having no friends. I felt for these kids more than I felt anger
at the bullies, who often seem to be struggling with their own fears and
insecurities of childhood.

The
film follows five children with different issues making them a target for
bullies. Over the course of one school year we see their personal struggles,
each unique to the specific types of bullying they must endure. We follow a
lesbian in a Midwestern small town public school, as well as a young boy whose
social awkwardness makes it difficult for him to make friends in a tougher
school. Other stories are not as traditional to follow, including the
incarcerated young girl who pulled a gun on a school bus after having been
bullied for the last time. Another story follows the grief of parents who lost
their son to suicide after the bullying became unbearable.

The
filmmaking is adequate enough, but the true reason for the compelling nature of
this documentary is simply the human element. These are real people struggling
with real hardships and life realities. In some cases the children seem to
handle the abuse far better than the parents, who feel a sense of helplessness
to the situation. There is only so much that they can do for their child,
especially when the school officials are also unable to legally do much. ‘Kids
will be kids’ seems to be the mantra of the bullies and their parents, leaving
the victims with little choice but to endure, usually with the parents
constantly encouraging them to stand up for themselves.

The
Blu-ray includes the PG-13 version of the film, which merely means that a few
of the foul words are bleeped out. There are many special features, including
another version of the film for an even younger age group. There is also an
update on the children from the film, deleted scenes and many featurettes about
getting involved in the campaign to stop bullying.

A
Late Quartet is one of those gems of movies that you can be proud to introduce
to cultured friends with good taste. Although few are likely to have heard of
it, I found the acting and the drama to be comparable if not better than most
of the films nominated for awards this season. Philip Seymour Hoffman was
nominated for his performance in The Master, but I found him equally compelling
in A Late Quartet, even when the melodrama of the film pushed the boundaries
slightly.

The
film is about a perfect quartet, which is forced to change when the eldest
member and cellist (Christopher Walken) announces that he has a debilitating
medical condition which makes his career as a musician impossible. This news
sends shockwaves through the other three members of the group, which include
his daughter (Catherine Keener) and her husband (Hoffman). Each of them take he
news differently, with the famed first violinist (Mark Ivanir) taking the most
clinical approach to replacing a friend.

This
is a performance-based film, though this is not code for boring. I found myself
enthralled by the acting in this film, regardless of the fact that much of the
film is just four characters arguing and discussing music. The screenplay
obviously comes from a place of well researched understanding of classical
music, and those are the parts which stand out above all else. The Blu-ray
includes a solitary making-of featurette, though the film alone is a beautiful
accomplishment.

The
presentation of Chicken with Plums is so whimsical and fun, I was taken aback
by the darker shift in narrative towards the film’s end. There was no
preparation for the level of seriousness, mostly because the tone is set at a
much lighter level when we begin. Previously, filmmaker Marjane Satrapi dealt
with heavier themes within the lighter context of animation in Persepolis, but it doesn’t work out quite as
well in live action.

Though
this film feels uneven at times, there is still much to be admired.
Performances and creativity alone make it a worthwhile film to watch. The movie
begins with a world-renowned violinist seeking a new instrument to play after
his is damaged in a fight with his wife. Each instrument he finds fails to
produce the same sound as his beloved violin, so Nasser-Ali Khan decides to go
to bed and await death. As he starves himself to death, he has visions and
insight, along with memories of his youth. These discoveries are made on his
death bed, as his children and wife watch him selfishly wither away.

There
is a love story amidst all of the selfish behavior, though it is not one with
his wife, making our protagonist more than a little unlikable at moments. The
film doesn’t really stop long enough to examine the faults in the protagonist,
instead glossing past it into the romantic side of the storytelling. The DVD
includes a commentary track with directors Marjane Satrapi and Vincent
Paronnaud, as well as a Q&A with them.

The
Sessions is a nice performance based independent film, one which deals with
drama and comedy with the same light touch. There is nothing remarkably daring
or profound within the screenplay based on a true story written by filmmaker
Ben Lewin. In fact, some aspects of the film feel too safe for an independent
film, even if the subject matter would suggest material more risqué or daring.
This is a safe little film which is ultimately a performance piece within a
dramedy.

John
Hawkes stars as Mark O’Brien, a poet and journalist who has been paralyzed and
confined to an iron lung since childhood. Despite his handicaps, he was able to
attend a university and receive a degree, and can even provide for himself with
a job. The one thing he has never gotten around to accomplishing is the manhood
rite of passage that is losing his virginity. As a devout Catholic, Mark seeks
counsel from his priest (William H. Macy), who is more than encouraging in the
endeavor.

Mark
seeks out a sex therapist (Helen Hunt), whose professional attitude and kind
demeanor help the uncomfortable paralyzed 38-year-old have sex for the first
time. They have a finite number of sessions together before the arrangement is
completed, and the meetings inevitably become about more than just mere
intercourse. There are some awkward bits within the screenplay, but even those
are glossed over so quickly that this often feels like a Hollywood
imitation rather than the edginess I would have once expected from an
independent film.

The
Blu-ray includes a number of features, from deleted scenes to a handful of
featurettes. There are some real-life behind-the-scenes featurettes, to show
the inspiration behind the story. There are also featurettes for each of the
main actors, who are showcased within the film and have been the highest
selling point during this award season. There is also a general featurette
about the cast.